K'iche' Maya
San Tomás Chichicastenango, Guatemala
Married Woman's Pot or Huipil (Blouse or Tunic)
INV-7953
K'iche' Maya
San Tomás Chichicastenango, GuatemalaEarly to mid-20th century
Married Woman's Pot or Huipil (Blouse or Tunic)
K'iche' Maya San Tomás Chichicastenango, Guatemala →maya20th Centuryindigenouscostumeweaving
Date
Early to mid-20th century
Medium
Cotton and silk, plain weave with patterning and brocading wefts; joined with cotton in cretan and cross stitches; appliquéd with cellulose acetate, plain weave; embroidered with silk in chain stitches; metal buttons
Dimensions
72.1 × 87 cm (28 3/8 × 34 1/4 in.)
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Location
Chicago, IL
Credit
Gift of Claire Zeisler
Women weave traditional Maya blouses such as this one on a backstrap loom, a skill taught by the goddess of the moon and childbirth. Because this method is thought to imbue the cloth with a life force, Maya weavings are never cut but rather woven to shape. Made from shades of natural (undyed) cotton, this shirt’s embellishments communicate the wearer’s identity and status within her community and place her at the center of the K’iche’ sacred landscape. The radiating embroidery around the neckline—a marker of huipils made in Chichicastenango—represents the sun, and the appliquéd black silk rounds with attached silver coins on the shoulder refer to the moon.
Also notable
Works in the same vein
